The Epic of Kautilya : Born To Be King

by Deepak Thomas

  “They don’t get along,” Ādi said. “That’s what Druma told me. Apparently the bears went insane a long time ago. They became cannibals and started doing witchcraft. All sorts of weird stuff. Druma reckons that once the apes kick out the humans their next aim will be to get rid of the bears.”

  “But that old bear was so nice,” Saira said.

  Kautilya realised that there had to be more to it than that.

  When it was dusk, the squad camped next to a stream that Ādi had scouted. After their dinner, they laid down to sleep.

  ***

  Kautilya was chained to the wall.

  Dhanush walked up to her. “I gave you a chance,” he said, “but you did not listen. Hayan, it is time.”

  Was it finally her turn?

  Hayan placed his talons on her chest. She remembered what he had done to Renuka.

  She would not scream. She would not give in to the pain.

  The talons sank in. She did not scream.

  The talons began to tear her flesh apart.

  It hurt more than she had imagined. She began to scream.

  Kautilya startled awake. She stared up at the starry sky. A shooting star flew past.

  “Do you know what a falling star means?” Ādi said. “Someone is lovelorn.”

  Kautilya raised her head to see him crouched in a corner.

  “Hey, princess,” Ādi said, “can’t sleep?”

  “Why are you awake?” Kautilya asked. “It was Nina’s turn to do guard duty.”

  “She fell asleep,” Ādi said. “I didn’t want to wake her up. She must be tired from the trek.”

  Kautilya sat up. “I can do watch duty, you know. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

  “It’s all right,” Ādi said. “I have too many things on my mind. You can keep me company.” His eyes lingered on her. “Are you all right? You’re feverish.”

  “I had a nightmare,” she said. “It scared me.”

  “I have nightmares too.” Ādi walked up and embraced her. “Nothing cures a nightmare better than a tight hug.”

  Kautilya was shocked at first. But then it felt good. She hugged him back.

  Suddenly Ādi leapt to his feet.

  “Nina, Saira,” Ādi said. “Princess...”

  Kautilya turned around and pretended to just be waking up.

  “What happened?” Kautilya asked.

  “We have company,” Ādi said. His fingers were curled into the claw mudra.

  “What do we have here?” a gravelly voice broke through the bushes around the meadows. Ādi and Saira leapt to their feet. Barong protected Kautilya and Nina.

  “These aren’t apes,” another voice said.

  Kautilya saw shadowy figures in the trees. She made out that they were not humans, but they were much bigger than apes. The bushes parted and the creatures stepped out.

  “Bears!” Kautilya gasped in recognition.

  “Look,” one of them said, “they have a human with them. What do we do with them?”

  A giant bear stepped forward. “What do we normally do with the humans we meet?” He beat his chest and a necklace of human skulls rattled against it.

  Kautilya gulped.

  CHAPTER 45

  Camp Of The Outcasts

  “You’d better not touch her,” Ādi said.

  “Yes,” Saira added. “She’s fighting the humans. She’s on our side.”

  The giant bear studied the squad. He turned to the rest of the bears.

  “Kill them all,” he said.

  Immediately the bears lifted up their stone maces and charged. Kautilya readied herself for the fight.

  “Stop!” a voice commanded. The bears halted and looked in the direction of the command.

  The old bear from the temple walked into their midst. All the bears immediately fell to their knees.

  “The Boar Killer,” the giant bear gasped.

  Kautilya’s eyes widened as she realised who the bear was. This was the legendary hermit who had stopped the Boar.

  The hermit turned to the giant bear. “Sabu, these are our friends. We should take good care of them.”

  The bear nodded.

  “Would you children like to visit our humble abode?” the hermit asked.

  Kautilya nodded.

  “I am sorry if they scared you,” the hermit said. “They look scary but they are kind when you get to know them.”

  “I didn’t realise who you were,” Kautilya said as they walked through the forests to the bear camp.

  “That’s all right,” the hermit said. “You treated me with respect despite that. If you had annoyed me then I wouldn’t have bothered following you downhill to make sure my kin did not kill you.”

  “Did you really kill the Riverbuilder and his boar?” Kautilya asked.

  The hermit shook her head. “In his quest to connect all of Bharat, the Riverbuilder did not care about the lives of the few, not even his own. He could have turned back when I warned him. But he trudged on relentless.”

  “So,” Kautilya said, “his ruthlessness was rewarded by death.”

  “It often is,” the hermit said, “but that is the nature of all great quests. There is always a price to pay. Take the great astra-wielders of legend. The most powerful astras can only be obtained through the harshest penance.”

  Kautilya was amazed. “What do you know about astras?”

  “Quite a bit,” the hermit said, “I was an astra-wielder once. Long ago…”

  “Was your patron god, the Ape God?” Kautilya asked.

  The hermit nodded. “As well as the Goddess.”

  “This is unbelievable,” Kautilya said, “I could use your advice. I have an astra that is under the patronage of the Goddess, the Hamsastra. But I cannot use it and I do not understand why.”

  The hermit gasped. “Do not use it. The Goddess’s patronage makes one powerful but for the use of her mightier astras one has to make a great sacrifice.”

  “What do you mean?” Kautilya asked.

  “There is a reason I gave up wielding the astras of the Goddess.” the hermit said, “Each time you use it, you have to sacrifice the life of someone you love. Do not go down that path, Kautilya, it is a path that leads to bad karma.”

  Her words hit home.“Why would the Goddess put a condition like that?” Kautilya asked, “Isn’t she the most kind-hearted of all the deities?”

  “It is out of her kindness she does it,” the hermit said, “In her wisdom, she has made it so that those bestowed with her power only use it when the need is dire. And to sacrifice someone you love, the purpose would have to be greater than oneself and even one’s family.”

  “Quails! I can smell quails.” Ādi suddenly perked up and started sniffing. He turned around excitedly to Nina, who could not believe her ears.

  “You folk eat meat?” Nina asked the hermit.

  “Not I,” the hermit said. “But yes, my tribesmen do.”

  Kautilya realised why the apes and the bears did not get along.

  “You like quails, eh?” Sabu asked Ādi.

  “I will eat your day’s supply,” Ādi said. He pointed to Barong. “And he’ll eat a year’s supply.”

  Soon they were at the bears’ camp. They lived in tents made of animal skins and herded wild bison and drank their milk.

  Ādi, Nina and Barong ran towards a spot where wildfowl were being cooked on a spit. They leapt onto them as if they had been starving for years.

  Kautilya turned away to see Saira. “Makes you sick, right?” Saira asked. Kautilya nodded.

  “It’s just our way of life, child,” the hermit said. “They are omnivores. They cannot just live on fruits and roots like the apes. They need to eat meat.”

  “But you don’t,” Kautilya said.

  “I d
o not need to eat at all,” the hermit said. “The blessing of my lord nourishes me.”

  “Is this why the apes hate the bears?” Kautilya asked.

  “Yes,” the hermit said.

  Kautilya studied the wild bison. Suddenly she saw a beautiful white horse among them.

  “A horse?” Kautilya gasped.

  “We have a few,” the hermit said, “Sabu and his raiders occasionally bring them as part of the spoils.”

  Sabu nodded. “They don’t give milk and they’re too beautiful to want to eat. We just keep them here for their beauty.”

  Kautilya smiled. “You can ride them,” she said.

  “How?” Sabu asked. “We tried doing it but we were never able to work it out. A few bears had their teeth knocked out when they tried.”

  “I can show you,” she said. She walked over to the horse and petted it. Soon the horse submitted to her control and she was riding it around the puzzled bison. Little bear cubs cheered her on. She felt ecstatic. She had not been able to ride horses in front of the apes, but now she felt one with the wind.

  “Hey, princess,” she heard Ādi say. She turned to see that he was keeping pace with her. He was chasing her down, in fact. “I did not know princesses could ride. Do you want to race?”

  Kautilya smiled. “This princess will make you bite the dust.”

  She spurred the horse with her heels and it raced forward. Ādi tried to keep pace but Kautilya was unstoppable. She rode the horse through the village and after some time came to a halt back among the bison. She leapt off and kissed the side of the horse’s neck. “You are beautiful,” she whispered to the beast. Ādi reached her after a few moments.

  “You surprise me all the time, princess,” Ādi said.

  Kautilya smiled and winked at him.

  The squad, the bear cubs and Sabu were cheering her.

  “That was amazing,” Sabu said as Kautilya walked back to them. “You need to teach us how to do that.”

  “I would,” Kautilya sighed, “if I had the time.” She turned to the hermit. “Do you know about the rebellion?”

  The hermit nodded. “I have heard. They have made good progress under Indira and the new warlord.”

  Nina pointed her thumb at Kautilya. “She’s the real mastermind behind it all.”

  The hermit and Sabu looked at Kautilya impressed.

  “Your tribe would be of great help in fighting the humans,” Kautilya said. “Your warriors look strong.”

  “The apes have requested our support in fighting the humans several times,” Sabu said.

  “Then why do you not support them?” Kautilya asked.

  “Because they hate us,” Sabu said. “What do you think the apes will do as soon as we help them oust the humans? They will come after us.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Kautilya said. “As of now both of you are oppressed by the same rulers. You need to break your shackles.”

  “Will they accept a bear as their king?” Sabu asked.

  Kautilya did not know the answer to that.

  “For bears,” Sabu said, “being ruled by apes and being ruled by humans is the same. Both make our lives miserable. For now we are content the way we are.”

  “Hey!” Suddenly a young bear came running to Kautilya. She was followed by two big bears.

  Kautilya recognised them from the other day.

  “We came to pay our respects,” the big bear said.

  “How do you know her?” Sabu asked.

  The bears related all that had happened.

  “I like you more and more, dear Kautilya,” the hermit said.

  “Thank you for saving my brother,” Sabu said. “But you also know why we don’t support the apes. They are just as bad as the humans.”

  “That’s not true, Sabu,” Kautilya said. “There are bad apes as surely as there are bad bears. You cannot expect all of them to be the same. The Lord Chief of Dandaka wants freedom for all the races that live here. If you want to stay out of the battle that’s your choice but don’t blame the apes for it.”

  Sabu shook his head. “Why should we fight?”

  “To take back your land,” Kautilya said. “To be able to live in a country where your mind is without fear and your head is held high. Don’t let vendetta keep you split, Sabu. If you don’t band together then both your races will go extinct.”

  “Kautilya,” Sabu said, “you are wise. Maybe you are correct. We should help the apes. But you know they do not like us near them.”

  “A friend of mine once told me,” Kautilya said, “sometimes we do not choose our friends, the friendship chooses us.”

  Sabu was silent.

  “Come now,” the hermit said. “We will give you a place to stay for the night and you can set off in the morning.”

  The squad spent that night in the bears’ camp. The next day they packed their bags while Barong stuffed himself with meat, and soon they were ready to leave.

  The three bears from before, along with the hermit and Sabu, were there to see them off.

  Sabu beckoned to Kautilya and she went over to him.

  “Thanks for your hospitality,” she said.

  “Thanks for giving us the opportunity,” Sabu said.

  Kautilya nodded. “Maybe someday the apes will be able to see the hospitality of the bears. If they survive this…”

  “We will fight,” Sabu said. “Tell the apes, we will join them if we are needed.”

  “You will?” Kautilya gasped.

  “There is no honour…” Sabu said, “in living a shackled life.”

  This was great news. Their forces would be bolstered. “You will be needed soon.”

  The squad cheered. Their army was getting stronger by the day.

  “I see you, a band of children from all over Triloka,” the hermit said. “There is a human, a yakshi, a demigod, a...” she paused when she looked at Ādi. “And all of you bond together and love each other. I can feel your love. You have a great mission, children. A great responsibility has been placed on your young shoulders...”

  “Freedom for the apes and bears,” Nina said.

  “Freedom for all the three worlds of Triloka,” the hermit said, “this is just the beginning. But stay strong. If you lose faith in your cause then your enemy shall prevail.”

  “Bless us,” Kautilya said.

  “My blessings are with you, child. And so are the blessings of the Ape God. Fight,” the hermit said. “Fight like you have never fought before.”

  CHAPTER 46

  It Was Time

  The Lord Chief watched the last pile of weapons being unloaded near the warehouse, which was now overflowing with gold, grain and tools of war. There were almost a hundred horses standing outside the granary. They stank and attracted flies.

  The apes had become strong. But the humans still occupied the hills.

  It still felt like yesterday that Renuka had been stripped from her.

  The humans had wanted the apes to surrender in return for the release of her daughter. But she had refused.

  It had been a painful decision. But that was because every ape child in the nation seemed like her own blood. She could not choose between them.

  She had given Renuka up for dead and would have continued that way had Kautilya not turned up. Now there was hope that she could fulfil both her roles as mother and Lord Chief.

  Her Dandaka would be powerful again. The miracle they had wrought in the hills would be repeated across the plains. All of Dandaka would be well fed and apes would be a proud race again.

  “Lord Chief.” She heard Yama creep up behind her.

  “Yama,” she greeted him. “How are you this fine day?”

  “I am well, Lord Chief,” Yama said. “How are you?”

  “I could be better,” she said. “T
he looting campaign is a success but I’m worried that the humans have become more ruthless with the population. How long will the looting carry on?”

  “We are draining our enemy’s resources, Lord Chief,” Yama said. “It’s been working really well so far. We have a lot of grain and gold.”

  “But it’s not gold and grain we want, is it?” the Lord Chief snapped. “It’s freedom for our future generations. Our strategy is also affecting our sisters and brothers in the occupied lands. I hear rumours of starvation and diseases running rampant. How long do we plan to let apes suffer this misery?”

  Yama stared blankly at the Lord Chief. She sighed. “I apologise, Yama. I know your squad has been doing a great job. But the pressure is building. Negotiations with the asura for aid have fallen through. They do not believe we can defeat the humans.”

  Yama shook his head. “Don’t pay too much heed to the asura, Lord Chief. They just want to weaken the allies of the demigods. However, we’ll be ready to launch the next phase of our plan soon.”

  The Lord Chief had been hearing this for months. “How soon, warlord?”

  “In fact, I’ve come to fetch you to brief you about the plan right now,” Yama said.

  The Lord Chief felt her heart skip a beat. “Right now?”

  Yama nodded. “We can launch the next phase within the week.”

  “Lead the way, warlord,” the Lord Chief said.

  Yama nodded and soon they were in the war tent. Druma, the generals and the young human awaited the Lord Chief’s arrival.

  In front of them was unfurled the map of the Kishkinda hills.

  “That’s a detailed map you have there,” the Lord Chief ventured. “Newly drawn too.”

  Yama nodded. “It’s Kautilya’s handiwork.”

  The Lord Chief turned to Kautilya.

  “Good job, girl,” she said. “I guess that is a reason to keep you alive a bit longer.”

  Kautilya gulped and the Lord Chief laughed. She was cute.

  “So what is this plan, Yama?” the Lord Chief asked.

  “Well, the plan is quite...” he paused, then turned to Kautilya. “Why don’t you explain it, Kautilya?”

  Kautilya began explaining her plan. The Lord Chief was sceptical at first but soon Kautilya hit her stride. She detailed every aspect of the plan and explained it beautifully.